You have to search long and hard to find him on the conference top 10 lists. 8th in batting average, 4th in hits, 8th in total bases. But, hey, he was 3rd in at-bats. And he did lead his team to a 6th place finish.

When’s the last time the Player of the Year didn’t finish in the top 10 in either on base percentage or slugging percentage? Or home runs, RBIs and runs?

I thought the award was going to go to ASU’s Joey DeMichele who led the league in batting average, slugging percentage and triples. Or how about WSU’s Taylor Ard who topped the conference in home runs, RBIs and total bases?

You could also make a case for a pair of Arizona Wildcats. Cole Frenzel was 1st in on base percentage and top five in average, slugging, runs, hits, RBIs and walks. Robert Refsnyder tied DeMichele for the triples lead, tied Ard for the total bases lead and was 2nd in RBIs.

Pac-10 Pitcher of the Year, on the other hand, was the easiest vote you’ll ever see in sports. UCLA’s Trevor Bauer led the league in every stat that means anything to a starting pitcher.

It gets better. UCLA hasn’t used a reliever in a game started by Bauer since April 2. In Pac-10 play the Bruin bullpen threw a total of two innings behind the junior right-hander. If this were the Major Leagues, Bauer would have won both the Cy Young and MVP.

Coach of the Year went to Oregon State’s Pat Casey, which means they voted before the final weekend. If Sean Miller won the award for taking a “one-man team” to the conference title then UCLA’s John Savage deserves it for taking a “two-man team” to the top.

The 25-man All-Conference Team featured a league-high six Wildcats: junior Kyle Simon and sophomores Frenzel, Refsnyder, Kurt Heyer, Alex Mejia and Joey Rickard. The UA looks to have plenty of guys back to compete for next year’s Pac-10 awards.

– – –

Here is how the Pac-10 regular season said goodbye:

ARIZONA won all three vs. Washington.
Scores: 9-0, 6-5, 8-2
Word of advice to the Cats: Don’t blow any four-run 9th-inning leads in College Station.

UCLA won two of three at ASU.
Scores: 10-3, 7-0, 5-10
Those first two games earned the Bruins a regional and kept Arizona State from securing a national seed.

Oregon won all three vs. OSU.
Scores: 4-1, 4-1, 6-0
The Ducks went 10-3-1 (gotta include the tie) down the stretch but it was too little, too late to make the Big Baseball Dance.

Speaking of too little, the Beavers’ two total runs in their final series aren’t going to strike fear in the hearts of anybody traveling to the Corvallis regional.

Stanford won both at Cal.
Scores: 3-2, 4-2
I’m sure Oregon would love to play Cal heads-up for their tournament bid right now.

WSU won two of three at USC.
Scores: 2-6, 10-2, 13-1
I know the Cougars wish their two-game winning streak carried over to next year.

Gee, do you suppose that 10 NCAA Division 1 coaches from the Pac-10 who voted on the player of the year might know something? They ALL saw this guy play. They ALL have watched him for the past 2 years. Jealousy and envy are two of the most unattractive personal characteristics in people and from what I see, you are pretty darn ugly. Blowing out someone elses candle doesn’t make another ones shine brighter.

Welcome, Baseball Fan! Good to hear from someone passionate about the Pac-10.
You don’t make All-Pac-10 two years in a row without being a good player but I’m guessing the Player of the Year votes were split among 4 or 5 guys. There just wasn’t a clear-cut winner this year like on the pitching side.
Enjoy the regionals this weekend!

Jack WangJune 1, 2011

Renda’s not a power hitter by any means, but he’s an absolute defensive star and does rank second in the conference in hits. He’s second on the team in errors (9), but he’s going after balls that most infielders don’t have the range to even get close to. Mildly surprising pick, maybe, but not outlandish. David Esquer, who’s been at Cal for 12 years, has said Renda’s the best player he’s coached.

Amazing run for Renda and the Bears in Houston! I hope they get by Dallas Baptist and carry the Pac-10 flag to Omaha.
Not bad for a team that thought this season was going to be its last!

jeff lorberJune 1, 2011

Wow, I have to agree with Scott, I follow the Pac-10 and this was a big surprise to me too. I’d go with Bauer, hands down! He dominates. Renda lead his team in errors and and only had 3 homers ?? ? It’s going to be hard to wear that title. I have to wonder if all the conference coaches were there to vote, lol.